After delivering a speech at the Benedictine College commencement ceremony, Harrison Butker has become a hot topic in the intersection of sports and politics. The professional football player proudly expressed his Catholic faith and addressed several contentious social issues.
Following the immense backlash Butker has sustained, Outkick host Charly Anrolt claimed the Chiefs kicker is being “treated like a criminal.” She told Todd Piro during a recent appearance on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends First on Friday, “He’s being treated like a criminal. He didn’t do anything that was criminally wrong or criminally inappropriate.”
The Outkick host pointed out that NFL fans seem to be supportive of Butker’s comments, where his jersey has quickly become a top seller, outpacing his teammate Patrick Mahomes in sales. Arnolt suggested that the people showing with their wallets that Butker did nothing wrong and had the right to make his statements.
She said, “But this is the People’s Court has really spoken because when you see controversial auctions happening in the past, let’s say with Target, Bud Light, you saw the massive drop off that those companies faced. Those people really responded to their controversial actions in one manner. Here you see people turning in a different manner supporting Harrison Butker because they’re saying he didn’t say anything wrong.”
Arnolt then claimed there is a seeming double standard, where conservative values are being singled out while actual deplorable behavior from other NFL athletes goes unnoticed. She cited Butker’s teammate Rashee Rice, who was recently involved in a controversial car accident.
She said, “Look at his teammate Rashee Rice facing eight charges right now for a car accident he was responsible for. Is anyone calling for him to lose his position on the team? Absolutely not, so this just shows when you have conservative values, and you speak those out loud, here’s what happens.”
One part of Butker’s speech that triggered significant backlash was his commentary on gender roles in modern society. The kicker encouraged the female audience members to reconsider the narrative they have been told they should focus on pursuing a career over motherhood. Butker instead suggested that women should embrace the traditional role of being a “homemaker.” Watch the segment below:
“For the ladies present today, congratulations on an amazing accomplishment. You should be proud of all that you have achieved to this point in your young lives,” Butker said. “I want to speak directly to you briefly, because I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you. How many of you are sitting here now, about to cross this stage, and are thinking about all the promotions and titles you are going to get in your career? Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.”
Note: The featured image is a screenshot from the embedded video.
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